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The Cavaliers run of eight straight wins came to an end last night against the Thunder. With games against a healthy Thunder squad, a surprising Atlanta team, and the Memphis Grizzlies in town four days before Christmas, the Cavaliers’ streak had a good chance of ending in the near future. With that being said, it might as well have been on a night when the Cavs were without LeBron James, Kyrie Irving seemed to narrowly avoid a serious injury, and the NBA’s reigning MVP on the opposing team to close it out when the Cavaliers couldn’t; but there was a lot to learn from last night. In a night where one superstar-stacked team was healthy and the other was riding a winning streak, the contest proved to be a big challenge and an even bigger lesson learned for the Cavaliers. Here are five things that we learned from last night’s loss to think about going forward:
Read the first lesson on the next page!
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#1 Matthew Dellavedova Can Ball!
In case you didn’t know, Matthew Dellavedova, in just his 3rd game back from a sprained MCL, played a season high 34 minutes in James’ stead, posting a line of 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He knocked down some timely three-pointers, dove for loose balls, and defended Durant in the 4th quarter, holding him scoreless. When Durant was switched onto Irving through the pick-and-roll, he was able to score at will, putting in eight points in the final two minutes. Dellavedova is the backup point guard for Irving, but with his recent performance, one might begin to wonder if starting Dellavedova is an option. With a lineup of Irving, Dellavedova, James, Love, and Varejao, the Cavs can bring Shawn Marion off the bench for LeBron to get some rest. Delly has more than proved his ability to defend and run the offense, so Irving could still be his aggressive self.
Continue to second lesson on the next page!
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#2 Cavs Struggle on the Perimeter
The Cavaliers’ pick-and-roll defense has been great at times, but has also been dreadful other times. Last night, the Cavaliers gave away too many points from their bad pick-and-roll/ pick-and-pop defense, as Ibaka and Durant were found cutting to the basket or popping out for open jumpers as Westbrook and Jackson drew all the attention. Cleveland’s big men need to hedge out to the ball handlers longer while the off-ball defenders pay more attention to any cuts to the basket. James did help the Cavs in this area, but the whole team still needs to improve.
Continue to third lesson on the next page!
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#3 Cavs Struggle in Pick-and-Roll
The Cavaliers’ pick-and-roll defense has been great at times, but has also been dreadful other times. Last night, the Cavaliers gave away too many points from their bad pick-and-roll/ pick-and-pop defense, as Ibaka and Durant were found cutting to the basket or popping out for open jumpers as Westbrook and Jackson drew all the attention. In the closing minutes, the Thunder made a smart move running pick-and-roll between Westbrook and Durant, leaving Kyrie to struggle against KD who scored OKC’s final eight points to finish of the Cavaliers. Cleveland’s big men need to hedge out to the ball handlers longer while the off-ball defenders pay more attention to any cuts to the basket. James did help the Cavs in this area, but the whole team still needs to improve.
Continue to fourth lesson on the next page!
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The Cavaliers Struggle to get Open Looks for Shooters without James
Although Irving and Waiters were able to get to the basket at will, not many shooters got open looks other than Love and Dellavedova. James Jones, who is an absolute knock-down 3-point shooter, went 0-4 last night. Although every shooter has these nights, Jones did not get any open looks as not enough attention was drawn away from him. James takes so much attention from the shooters because of his ability to finish at the rim, and it really shows when the Cavs play without him.
Continue to fifth lesson on the next page!
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The Cavalier bench is Starting to Heat up
Even without Matthew Dellavedova and Mike Miller, the Cavalier bench scored 31 points last night. Delly had 14 points as a starter and Miller missed the game with recurring concussion symptoms from last week’s game vs. the Knicks. Waiters and Thompson have been solid off the bench when given minutes, and they seem to be hitting their stride leading the Cavaliers from that standpoint.
